Maruti’s first ever real premium hatchback was launched in late October this year and it managed to grab over 40,000 bookings till date. On paper Baleno is certainly an underpowered car as compared to Hyundai Elite i20 and Honda Jazz. Now rumors suggest that the company is working on the powerful version of the hatchback and might soon get the bigger diesel from Ertiga and Ciaz.

It is still unclear that whether the new variant would get Smart Hybrid technology from recently launched Ertiga or not. The powerful mill might increase its appeal and enhances it performance. Currently, Baleno uses the same engine of Swift with power output of 74bhp and 190 Nm of torque.

Its competitors like Hyundai Elite i20 delivers 90PS power in diesel trim while Honda Jazz produces 100PS power from 1.5 l diesel motor and last but not the least VW Polo GTI gets 1.5 TDI diesel mill which is good for 105PS. With more powerful engine it would make Baleno a keen driver’s car and more fun to drive.

While the aggressive initial price of Rs 4.99 lakh does give it an edge over the competition and introduction of SHVS hybrid system would definitely further improve its good value for money preposition. The vehicle is sold exclusively via the car maker’s premium NEXA dealerships alongside S-Cross and Ciaz. However, no time frame has been for a more powerful Baleno but we expect it make its way at the Auto Expo.

In the month of November 2015, Maruti Baleno has managed to outshine the long time segment leader Hyundai Elite i20 by selling 9074 units as compared to 8264 units of i20. These numbers are pretty impressive considering the limited numbers of NEXA dealerships present in the country right now.